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Cover art for Every Time You Go Away by Abigail Johnson

“Every Time You Go Away” by Abigail Johnson

3.5/5 stars. Every Time You Go Away by Abigail Johnson is an emotional roller coaster of a novel. Told from alternating perspectives and from before and after Rebecca’s accident this was a hard one to read. It was full of heavy themes and I did have some difficulty following along with what Rebecca and Ethan were feeling. I’m not sure if it would have been easier if it was written in a linear fashion or not but maybe. I also felt like some important moments in the novel could have been expanded upon. Instead it felt like the reader had to fill in gaps of Rebecca and Ethan’s interactions.

Cover art for the picture book "Always Together" by Patricia Kreiser

“Always Together” by Patricia Kreiser

4 stars. “Always Together” by Patricia Kreiser is a picture book to help kids grapple with the topics of loss and grief. The illustrations are very nicely done. The text is appropriate for the target age range. One concern I had is that it might be difficult to see because of the font size and color contrast between the font color and illustrations in the background. Otherwise, I think this is a good option for helping kids navigate their big feelings.

Cover art for Cut Loose! by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz

“Cut Loose!” by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz

4.5 out of 5 stars. Cut Loose! by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz is the second book in The Chance to Fly series. It takes place during the first half of Natalie (Nat)’s 8th grade year. Middle school is hard for everyone but especially when you have a disability (been there). Nat is the new kid which also doesn’t help make things easier. I both liked and disliked this book more than the first one. In this book Nat’s experiences felt more “real” to me as an adult with a disability. Nat grappled with more real world accessibility / disability focused issues on top of the typical middle school growing pains. This is also part of the reason I disliked the book at times: I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be in middle school and found some of Nat’s behavior to be annoying (so much “screaming” and a little bit of being self centered). But, I think readers who are actually in middle school will relate well.  I’d give this 4.5 stars. 

Cover art for the novel Four Weddings and a Puppy by Lizzie Shane

“Four Weddings and a Puppy” by Lizzie Shane

4 out of 5 stars. Four Weddings and a Puppy by Lizzie Shane is the 5th book in her Pine Hollow series. This one follows the story of Kendall, a former Olympic hopeful and Brody James, an Olympic medalist both in the area of skiing. Friends since childhood, and chasing similar dreams until life throws Kendall a curveball and she has to pivot and find a new dream. But, this is much easier said than done. Brody James achieved Kendall’s dream but is that still HIS dream? This book felt heavier to me than the others which is why I’d give it 4 /5 stars. The characters are unique enough that the story line doesn’t feel too repetitive even though the basic premise among all of them are similar. I think the underlying issue of mental health, finding your purpose, dealing with other’s expectations of you are all very important. I just wasn’t expecting the book to be so reflective (especially since the two main characters struggle with self reflection / awareness as much as they do). I also may not have enjoyed it as much because it’s more sports focused as well as the fact that my personality differs from Kendall’s. This made it harder for me to relate to but that’s okay. It’s still a solid story and for some might be 100% relatable.

Cover for the novel "Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal" by y Gretchen Schreiber

“Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal” by Gretchen Schreiber

4 out of 5 stars. Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal by Gretchen Schreiber is just my kind of book: the main character(s) have some sort of medical condition/ chronic illness/ disability and yet it touches on everyday stuff like friendship, love, self esteem, family dynamics etc. in Ellie Haycock is totally normal we meet Ellie, a high schooler with a rare genetic condition that affects both her physical appearance and her internal organs. Her mom runs a blog that has chronicled Ellie’s life from the very beginning. it serves as a way for her to connect with others and raise money to support and raise awareness about the things families experience when raising a child with a disability. This is a huge source of frustration and hurt for Ellie though (more on that later). The reader quickly learns that Ellie is experiencing persistent breathing issues that her local doctor can’t figure out. Therefore she and her mom are going to see a specialist and stay at “The Home” (essentially a Ronald McDonald House) for a bit. The reader also learns that Ellie is very deliberate in keeping her “hospital life” and “life-life” separate. She has hospital friends and non-hospital friends and they don’t know anything about each other.

Cover art for the novel Pride and Puppies by Lizzie Shane

“Pride & Puppies” by Lizzie Shane

5 out of 5 stars. Lizzie’ Shane’s Pride & Puppies is my favorite Pine Hollow story so far! While I’ve enjoyed and related to aspects of each of the previous stories, I especially related to Charlotte’s. Shane described both Charlotte and George’s perspectives beautifully and in a way to that was entirely too realistic. The character development was strong the dogs only added to the cuteness. I can’t wait for more Pine Hollow stories!

Cover art for Own Your Care by Dr. Jeanne Lee

“Own Your Care” by Jeanne Lee

4 out of 5 stars. Own Your Care by Jeanne Lee, MD Is a comprehensive book for both patients and caregivers covering many aspects of life with a chronic illness. The thing I liked most about the book is that the author focuses on helping the reader explore the idea of quality of life vs quantity of life. This is something that I feel like many people don’t consider enough. The author provides concrete examples of how different people have different ideas of what this means. She also highlights the differences between palliative care and hospice care; encouraging families to explore the help of palliative care specialists which are often underutilized. The book’s chapters are organized in a logical order going from receiving a diagnosis to end of life concerns. The chapters can be read in any order though, depending on where you are in the healthcare journey. Within each chapter are subsections and bolded bullet point questions geared towards both the patient and family members. I like that there is also an appendix listing these questions, a glossary of terms, and resources for further information. My only criticism is that the book is very text-heavy; I wish there was a bit more color in the form of photos, illustrations, charts or diagrams. Anything to help break up the long blocks of text and bullet pointed lists. Overall, I’d’ I recommend this book to both patients and family/friends of those living with chronic or complex health issues.

Cover for the book "Notes from a Sickbed" by Tessa Brunton

“Notes From A Sickbed” by Tessa Brunton

3 out of 5 stars. I had high hopes for Notes From A Sickbed by Tessa Brunton. The premise was appealing; comics written by someone with a chronic illness. I guess I thought the comics would focus more on her daily life (which they did to some degree). But, I also found some of them confusing. I will say that the actual artwork/drawings were very good. I read this on my iPad so I can only imagine how nice they would look on actual printed paper. Overall I would give this 3 out 5 stars. Perhaps I’m just not a comic person… I’m not sure. But I still enjoyed having the opportunity to read this early advanced reader copy.

Cover art for the novel If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

“If I Never Met You” by Mhairi McFarlane

4 out of 5 stars. If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane is a cute albeit predictable story of a fake romance turning into something real. But, it’s also about self-discovery and realizing your own worth. I did find it a little hard to read at times because I wasn’t familiar with some of the pop culture references and British phrasing. All in all I enjoyed the book and would give it a solid 4 stars.